“Control the game” – Lampard identifies key decision that led to Chelsea defeat to Wolves

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard left frustrated by his team’s inconsistency

Speaking to Sky Sports (h/t The Express), Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has opened up on his team’s inconsistency following their late loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday.

It was our second loss in a row, once again conceding the opportunity to close the gap on Tottenham Hotspur at the top.

Olivier Giroud gave us the lead but goals from Daniel Podence and a stoppage-time strike by Pedro Neto ensured we left the Molineux with no points.

“This is the Premier League and if you don’t perform, you lose games.”

In his post match comments, Lampard hinted at complacency potentially being a reason for our poor form of late.

“Performance is what gives you results, and we had a long run of good performances but maybe the lads think we’re playing well, and when you think you’re playing well this is what happens.”

He also went on to admit that maybe the Blues were wrong in their attempts to win the game rather than settle for a point.

“If you’re not playing that well, which we weren’t tonight, hang on to 1-0. Control the game. Don’t allow counter-attacks. And we did.”

It has so far been a December to forget for the Blues. Not only have we lost two Premier League games on the bounce but also drew a tough opponent in Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.

The prospect of throwing away the lead will definitely be a source of irritation for Lampard. On the same night that Manchester City also dropped points, Chelsea failed to put daylight between them and the teams below.

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Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge to face West Ham United on 21st December. This will be followed by clashes against Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Manchester City during the busy festive period.

Given how close the title race is shaping up, we cannot afford to drop more points lest we drift away like last season.